Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC) and line two large baking sheets with parchment/baking paper.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters, whisk the 3 egg whites with half the caster/superfine or granulated sugar on high speed until you get soft peaks, this should take about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining caster/superfine or granulated sugar on high speed until the mixture is pale, fluffy and thick enough to briefly mound up on itself as it falls off the whisk (the ribbon stage), this should take about 3 minutes.
Gently fold the whipped egg yolks into the whipped egg whites until only just combined.
Sift in the gluten free flour blend, cornstarch (US)/cornflour (UK), baking powder and xanthan gum. Gently and carefully fold in the dry ingredients until you get a smooth, fluffy batter with no flour clumps. Be careful not to deflate the mixture – you want to keep as much air in it as possible.
Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip.
Pipe the batter in little round dollops, about 1½ inches/4cm in diameter and ¾ inch/2cm in height. Leave at least ½-¾ inches/1.5-2cm space between them, as they will expand during baking. You should be able to fit about 24 ladyfingers per baking sheet, to make about 48 in total.
Mix the granulated sugar and powdered/icing sugar together, and generously dust the ladyfingers on one of the baking sheets with the mixture. (Dust the other baking sheet of ladyfingers just before baking them.)
Tip: While the granulated sugar provides some crunch, the powdered sugar ensures that the ladyfingers get their characteristic tall shape with cracks running along the sides. Without the powdered sugar, the ladyfingers will spread out (instead of puffing upwards) and rise only minimally.
One baking sheet at a time, bake at 340ºF (170ºC) for about 22-24 minutes or until risen, cracked along the edges and golden brown (see blog post for photos). They should feel crisp to the touch. Cool them completely on the baking sheets, then set aside until needed.
Tip: You can make the gluten free ladyfingers ahead of time, and then keep them in a closed air-tight container at room temperature for about 1 week.
Coffee soak:
In a bowl, mix together the coffee granules, sugar and hot water, until the coffee and sugar are fully dissolved.
Allow to cool completely to room temperature while you prepare the mascarpone cream.
Mascarpone cream:
You can prepare the mascarpone cream using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, with a hand mixer fitted with the double beaters or by hand using a large balloon whisk.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer, if using) and whip them to very soft peaks.
Tip 1: Be careful not to over-whip the filling, as it does firm up with time, even if it’s just standing on the counter waiting to be used in the tiramisu cups.
Tip 2: Regardless of whether you use a stand or a hand mixer, I recommend whisking the filling on a low speed setting. This gives you better control over the texture/consistency of the filling and it lowers the chances of over-whipping it.
Assembling the tiramisu cups:
Dip the mini ladyfinger biscuits into coffee for about 1-2 seconds. This should be enough for them to be fully soaked though with coffee without becoming too soggy.
Tip: When you’re dipping your ladyfinger biscuits in coffee, make sure that your coffee is cooled *completely* to room temperature – hot or warm coffee will get absorbed too quickly and it will make your biscuits too soggy.
Layer the mascarpone cream with coffee-dipped ladyfinger biscuits in your dessert glasses (starting and ending with the cream). There are no firm rules here, you can make as many layers as you wish and use as many ladyfingers per each layer as you want – taking into account the dimensions of the cups or glasses you’re using.
Tip: I used about 420ml/1¾-cup serving glasses (height: 3¼ inches/8cm, width: 3½ inches/9cm) that comfortably fit three layers of mascarpone cream and two layers of ladyfinger biscuits, with 3-4 biscuits per each layer.
Chill the assembled tiramisu cups in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving them.
Just before serving, dust the top with cocoa powder to finish.
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